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Happy Holidays

23-Dec-2014

Welcome to our end of year newsletter with all our latest news, training opportunities, past and future events.

Firstly we would like to welcome Nanobodies4Instruct a new Instruct Centre in Belgium led by Jan Steyaert, which offers unique and revolutionary nanobody production using llama expression systems. We also welcome the new Finland National Associate Centre, Biocentre Finland to our ever-growing structural biology infrastructure. It is with regret that Instruct is no longer able to offer access through EMBL facilities pending further clarity on both the German Roadmap and EMBL policy on ERICs.

Instruct still offers a full complement of flagship technologies that make up its infrastructure and demand for these continues to increase. Research success using Instruct infrastructure has now being acknowledged in more than 60 peer reviewed publications and several structures that have been solved using the Instruct access programme are in the pipeline. For the full list of Instruct acknowledged publications visit our website.

Good progress has been made towards Instruct's application for ERIC status. A teleconference meeting of the Ministerial representatives of all potential Instruct-ERIC members, chaired by the MRC UK representing the Instruct host country, achieved agreement in principle for the financial model and key business objectives for Instruct-ERIC. The current timetable for the application is for Step 1 to be submitted to the Commission in early February at the latest. Although the timing for the Commission evaluation of Step 1 is fluid, we expect to achieve ERIC status by the end of 2015. This step will be key to recognition of Instruct maturity in the ESFRI landscape.

More than 90 proposals for access to Instruct facilitieshave been received from all members’ countries so far. Access has been approved to a wide range of platforms, in total 188 access platforms were requested: 32 % Structural Analysis (including NMR, MS, X-ray Crystallography, SAXS and EM); 33% Sample Production; 27% Biophysical Characterisation; 9% Image Processing, Computational Analysis and Bioinformatics.

The Instruct training committee has approved six training events for 2015. All the courses approved offer something new state-of–the-art; integrative methods spanning technologies, structure/function boundaries or resolution scales. The events involve more than one technology and address demands from the structural biology community in Europe. You can read about the approved courses here.

During 2014 The Instruct training committee was involved in five training events . Instruct Training Courses and workshops are an important part of Instruct activity. All training, workshop or conference events that are financially supported by Instruct adhere to agreed standards set by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Education and Training body funded by the European Union.

You can find information about H2020 events and keep informed of any open call by following us on twitter @instructhub

Proposals for funded access to the full set of Instruct facilities are now invited.

Register on the Instruct website and submit your proposal online. Further information is available on the Instruct website. The deadline for this round of proposal submission is 5pm CET, Friday 30th January 2015.

Also Registration for the second Instruct Biennial Structural Biology Meeting taking place on the 20-22nd May, 2015, at Convitto Della Calza, Florence is now open.

Young scientists interested in gaining a broader understanding of structural biology and its community are especially encouraged to attend. Three participants will be chosen, from those submitting abstracts, to present their work at the meeting. Ten students from Instruct member, countries will be offered, based on their abstract submissions fellowships , covering their travel costs, registration and accommodation.